In May, EPA finalized its Clean Water Rule to clarify water protection under the Clean Water Act. Instead of clarification, however, the agency ignited confrontation.
Twenty-seven states think that regulating local streams and tributaries should be their job, not the federal government’s, and have filed suit against the agency. It’s likely the cases will be consolidated into one action to be heard in federal court.
“This rule will carry a tremendous cost to our state, our economy, and our families,” said South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. “EPA’s proposed expansion would bring many roadside ditches, small ponds on family farms, water features on golf courses, and stormwater systems under extremely burdensome federal regulation.”